Floods kill 42 in Indonesia, injure 21 others

Flash floods in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua have killed at least 42 people and badly injured 21 others, a local disaster agency official told Reuters Sunday.

The Sentani area near the provincial capital Jayapura has been hit by torrential rain since Saturday that triggered the floods, said the official, Cory Simbolon.

At least nine houses and two bridges were damaged by the floods, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, adding that a search and rescue team has yet to reach all of the affected areas.

“The number of casualties and impact of the disaster will likely increase as search and rescue teams are still trying to reach other affected areas,” he said.

“Waters have now receded, leaving mud, logs and other materials carried by the flash floods,” Nugroho said in a statement.

More than 120 residents were taking shelter at government offices after their homes were hit by the floods, he said.

Authorities, aided by the Red Cross and volunteers, were responding to help the displaced, Nugroho said.

Flooding is not uncommon in Indonesia, especially during the rainy season which runs from October to April.

In January, floods and landslides killed at least 70 people on Sulawesi island, while earlier this month hundreds in West Java province were forced to evacuate when torrential rains triggered severe flooding. (VOA)

•Indonesia's Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono shows a Papua map during a news conference, Dec. 4, 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia.